Swedish ferry company Stena Line has confirmed its plans to secure the future stability of its Fishguard-Rosslare service by redeploying another ferry from its fleet.
The Stena Nordica, which operates in the Baltic Sea, is a familiar ship on the Irish Sea, providing temporary relief cover on several Irish Sea routes over the last few years. It is scheduled to replace the older Stena Europe vessel in July.
The company will now commence a formal consultation with the unions representing the crew of Stena Europe, which has operated on the route since 2002. A commitment has been given to ensure they will all be offered roles on the Stena Nordica or other Stena Line vessels on the Irish Sea.
– Over the last decade, Stena Line has invested heavily in its Irish Sea routes with a combination of new tonnage and a range of port facility upgrades. I’m pleased to announce that we have now managed to secure an upgraded vessel from within our fleet, which is fully equipped to operate full-time on our popular Fishguard-Rosslare service – said Paul Grant, Trade Director (Irish Sea).
– Stena Europe has operated on the route for many years, and we are delighted we have been able to secure the Stena Nordica on a permanent basis. Stena Nordica is being upgraded (at Remontowa Shiprepair Yard in Gdansk) with increased passenger capacity and a range of new and improved facilities, offering an enhanced customer experience – he emphasized and concluded: – We are mindful that Stena Europe has been operating Fishguard – Rosslare for many years, so we will do our level best to ensure as smooth a transition as possible as we embark upon an exciting new chapter for the route.
Stena Line also owns the port of Fishguard in Wales, where employees remain unaffected by that announcement.
Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, with the biggest fleet offering the widest choice of routes, including, combined passenger and freight services from Belfast to Cairnryan and Liverpool, Dublin to Holyhead, and Rosslare to Fishguard routes, as well as a freight only route from Belfast to Heysham, a total of up to 238 weekly sailing options between Britain and Ireland.
Stena Line also offers a direct service from Rosslare to Cherbourg and will introduce an upgraded ship, Stena Vision, to this route for summer 2023, making this route the most frequent service from Ireland to France with 12 sailings per week.
rel (Stena Line)
